Bruce Poole, the Maryland chairman, is in the camp of thosewho believe Biden will jump in saying he is “starting to thinkmore likely than not the vice president is going to run“.

Biden’s consideration of a presidentialrun comes after months of tending to family responsibilities after the death of his son Beau in May.

The presidential candidate, leaning on his experience in civil rights, appealed to voters and vowed to end institutional racism.

But even if he conquers those concerns – and can shed an image of sometimes being a gaffe machine – Biden has to ponder somethingmore basic: Where can he beat Hillary Clinton?

Vice President Joe Biden is getting plenty of encouragement to make the leap into the race for the White House, including from his own boss.

Recent polls show Clinton’s numbers are eroding in key primary states, hitting herespecially on the issue of believability. But she remains a formidable front-runner for the Democraticnomination.

“Are you afraid of Joe Biden?” Biden trails behind both in most surveys.

With no Democratic candidate inspiring much passion other than Sanders, a self-described democratic socialist, Biden could well see an opening as a safety net for a party anxious about a possible Clinton implosion.

Earnest continued to lavish praise on the vice president, noting “there is no one in American politics today who has a better understanding of exactly what is required to mount a successful national presidential campaign” than Joe Biden.

“I think he has to make what is a very hard decision for himself and his family, and he should have the space and opportunity to decide what he wants to do”, she added.

“He is starting off fairly late in the cycle”. Since 2010, when the Supreme Court made a decision allowing outside spending groups, known as Super PACs, to accept unfettered sums, a wealthy donor can single-handedly propel a candidacy for as long as he or she is willing to fund it. Only Sanders is considered at all competitive in the early primaries, even as he operates with far less money than the former secretary of state. As Politico notes, Clinton made her remarks while standing with Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack, who just became the first member of the Obama administration to endorse Clinton.

Ray Buckley, party chair for the first-in-the-nation primary New Hampshire Democrats, told ABC News “there may be room for Vice President Biden”, but cautioned “time is running out”. “He gives us a chance to talk to some voters that we have struggled with in the last few cycles”. She was a former spokeswoman for John Edwards’ 2008 campaign, who has, according to Politico, “campaign chops”.

Clinton went on to indicate that her campaign is not just about continuing the policies of President Barack Obama, as perhaps his vice president’s goal might be.

Famed hedge fund manager Jim Chanos has said he would back Vice President Joe Biden in a bid for the presidency.